


Taking a Chance

by deservetobesaved (andloushallguideme)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Jock Castiel, M/M, Nerd Dean, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 15:30:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13661895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andloushallguideme/pseuds/deservetobesaved
Summary: Castiel Novak transfers to Dean's advanced English class and Dean is toast.This was a fic giveaway written for the-idiot-under-your-bed on tumblr. Hope you like it! :)





	Taking a Chance

Dean took a seat in in the furthest corner of the room, setting his black backpack on the ground. He was relieved to find out a few weeks back that there was no assigned seating in his English class. One would think that as an excellent student he would have liked to sit up front and ask/answer questions, but Dean was especially quiet, only raising his hand if he couldn’t contain himself. His teachers usually didn’t call him out, simply because he was one of the best students in the class and he never gave them trouble. When he did participate, his teachers would usually grin and say, “Very good, Dean.”

When he was a ninth grader and at the bottom of the high school food chain, some other students tried to bully him for being smart. They called him “pretty boy” and shoved him, but they soon found out how big of a mistake that was.

Dean was quiet, but that didn’t mean he was defenseless. His mother had taught him how to give a good punch just in case he ever needed to defend himself, and that was what he did. The other kids soon knew not to mess with Dean, the smart, cute boy with the ridiculously big green eyes.

Aside from the harsh welcome to high school, he managed to make friends soon enough. He befriended Charlie, a vibrant, red-headed, intelligent girl who was into gaming, and Benny, a tough-looking guy who was one of the most generous friends Dean had ever made.

Therefore, Dean was generally happy; he was eager to graduate from high school that year and head off to college. There was nothing he was missing, really.

In theory, that is.

__________________________________

As he was waiting for the teacher to begin the lesson, he flipped through the pages of _The Great Gatsby_. He made some last-minute annotations on a post-it then glanced up at the clock above the white board. He was 5 minutes early. He began to contemplate going to the restroom when he saw Castiel Novak timidly peek into the classroom.

Dean didn’t know how suddenly his heart could drop. Before Castiel could glance at the shy kid ogling him, he bent over to “look” for something in his backpack, so that his back was to him. Dean wondered what the hell he was doing in his classroom.

 _Maybe he’s lost?_ Dean thought. _School has been going on for a few weeks now, there’s no way he’d be lost._ As he argued with himself, he heard a shuffling next to him. He hesitantly straightened up and sure enough, Castiel was sitting in the chair next to his. He glanced at him and Castiel smiled. Dean felt warmer all of a sudden and he smiled back. He quickly looked back at his book in front of him and willed himself to calm down.

Dean would have been fine with any other person sitting next to him, but this was Castiel. Castiel Novak: Basketball extraordinaire. Everyone knew the guy because he consistently scored the most three-pointers, the most dunks, the most everything, really. His dark, soft-looking hair and deep-set baby blues and fit body made him especially popular. He was destined to be one of those athletes that ended up on _Sports Illustrated._

Dean, of course, was not immune to his good looks and skills. He would see him in the hallways from time to time and every time he’d see him he’d sigh admirably, and Charlie and Benny would say, “Oh boy, here we go.”

He didn’t _want_ to be attracted to the guy 80% of the school was attracted to. But how could he help it? His mysteriousness only added to his overall image as he was not the typical loud, partying, cocky jock. Not once had Dean heard him utter a word. He always hung out with his teammates but every time he saw him he had a serious expression on his face. Not mad or sad, just indifferent.

Dean knew it was a silly crush, but he wondered what would happen if their paths did cross. He wondered what he was like. Part of him hoped he would be cruel or arrogant so that he could say, “Castiel? That guy’s an asshole.” He supposed he was about to find out.

“Uh… hey, do you have a pen I could borrow?”

Dean looked to his right towards the gruff, deep voice that emanated from the most perfect boy he had ever seen. He looked at Castiel’s warm eyes and quickly snapped out of his trance.

“I- Yeah! Sure! Let’s see, I have a blue pen, a pink one, a red one, a mechanical pencil, a normal pencil, well not normal, a non-mechanical pencil, you know? Uh, also I have a crayon in here for some reason…” Dean rambled on and finally looked up at Castiel who had a small (dare he say) endearing smile.

“The red one, please. You have quite a collection.” Castiel chuckled and tilted his head at Dean, who was getting ready to propose marriage.

“Heh, yeah, I guess I do,” he replied, handing over a red pen, their index fingers touching ever so briefly.

Dean silently thanked whoever was responsible for this chain of events, and in a moment of confidence, asked, “So what brings you to this class?” He was determined to look straight at him and he realized how much he was missing. His hair looked softer up close and he yearned to ruffle it a little. Maybe a lot.

“I, uh, was in the regular English class but the teacher thought I needed to be challenged more… So, here I am.” He nodded at him and glanced at the book lying in front of Dean.

“Oh, okay. That’s good, I guess. I mean, if you think it’s good. Did you want to be transferred?” He asked, tentatively, not wanting to drive him away. He ran his hand through his hair, and Castiel watched the action.

“Yeah, I guess. I mean the class was pretty boring, so… And I do love reading… Your name is Dean, right?” Castiel turned a little in his seat so he was facing him.

Dean gulped and thought, _Please say my name again_.

“Yeah, it is… how’d you know? This is a pretty big grade level and I’m not… how’d you know?” Dean blushed and ordered himself to relax.

It was Castiel’s turn to look shy and he rubbed his neck nervously.

“Well I’ve heard your name around school… nothing bad of course, just people saying how you’re kind of a genius. You’ve also tutored some of my teammates.” Castiel coughed and looked down at his running shoes. He was wearing joggers and a thin hoodie that did nothing to hide his biceps.

Dean was blushing so hard he thought he might literally turn into a tomato. More students were entering the class and he didn’t want to humiliate himself in front of everyone _and_ Castiel.

“Heh, that’s right I have… And I’m not a genius. I mean, smart maybe, but I wouldn’t go that far,” Dean sputtered out. He hoped Castiel didn’t think of him as some know-it-all, or one of those smart kids that looked down on everyone else.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Dean. From what I’ve heard you could probably go to any college you wanted to,” Castiel replied. He glanced at Dean and smiled the kind of smile you give someone to reassure them, to silently say, “You’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Castiel,” he smiled back shyly and the teacher then decided to settle everyone down and begin the lesson.

 _I am toast,_ the green-eyed boy said to himself.

____________________________

At the end of class, while everyone was packing their stuff up, Dean suddenly turned to Castiel and said, “I could give you my notes from the first chapter of the book if you want. Since, you know, we went over it already. Not saying you need it, of course-“

“That would be great,” Castiel interrupted, putting an end to his rambling.

“Cool, well here, you can take my book since the notes are in it,” he replied, holding out the book.

“Don’t you need to read the second chapter though? I don’t wanna make anything difficult for you.”

“You won’t. I mean, we do have a few days to read it so I’ll be good. Don’t worry, just bring it back tomorrow?”

“Okay, sure. Thanks, Dean,” Castiel grinned at him and took the book, stuffing it into his backpack. _Oh my god my book is with his stuff. He’s gonna hold it and see my handwriting and read my thoughts_ , he realized. _Too late to take it back._

“No problem,” he lied, and added, “see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, see you,” Castiel waved and walked through the rows of chairs and out the classroom, gym bag in hand.

 _What have I done?_ The smart boy pondered.

__________________________________

He walked into the cafeteria and spotted Charlie and Benny sitting at their usual table. He tried to look calm while his mind was in disarray.

“Hey, guys, how’s it going?” He tried, taking a seat across from them and spinning his ring on his finger; a nervous habit of his.

“Good. How’s it going with you? You look…frazzled,” Charlie remarked, squinting at him suspiciously.

“Yeah you look… anxious,” Benny agreed, taking a bite out of his sloppy joe.

“Am I really that bad at hiding my feelings?” Dean asked, sighing.

“Yes,” his friends said. They laughed good-naturedly as Dean glared at them.

“So, spill. What’s up?” Benny prodded.

“Well…” Dean began, and leaned in conspiratorially to whisper, “Castiel Novak transferred to my English class.”

“No!”

“Do tell!” Benny and Charlie grinned like kids in a candy store and leaned in more.

“He sat next to me.”

“Whaaaaaat!” Charlie partially spit out her water and quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. Dean frowned at her and said, “Really, Charlie? It’s that unbelievable?”

“No, that’s not it, Dean! You know you’re adorable. I just know how big of a crush you have on him! I would freak if Kara sat down next to me,” she defended herself. Kara was a girl who Charlie had a _slight_ crush on. She had accidentally bumped into a pole while gazing at her across campus and Dean and Benny laughed for hours.

“How are you still alive? You’ve got it bad for that guy,” Benny chimed in, petting Dean’s head fondly.

“I honestly don’t know. We talked a little bit and… he knows my name! And I let him borrow a pen! Wait a second I didn’t get that back,” Dean remembered, frowning in confusion.

“This is great! He knows who you are and clearly thought you were approachable enough to sit next to and- wait, were there a lot of empty seats?” Charlie licked her lips, a sign she was about to start deducing.

“No, half the class wasn’t there yet. I guess he could’ve sat somewhere else…” he replied.

“There you go, do I hear wedding bells?” Benny joked, getting a death glare from both of his friends.

“That’s a good sign,” Charlie replied, biting her apple in thought.

“He’s even better looking up close.” Dean thought back to Castiel and sighed audibly for the 5th time. He was so lost in thought he didn’t see some of the basketball team enter the lunch room, Castiel among them. They walked right by their table and Castiel smiled at him, raising his hand in a wave. Dean automatically raised his hand, too, and grinned back.

Benny and Charlie saw the exchange and looked at each other, smirking.

“Ooooh boy, Dean! This is gonna be a good year for you!”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Castiel smile!”

“Shut up, guys,” Dean replied, hiding his face in his hands. He didn’t think he had ever blushed this much in his entire young life.

______________________________________

 

The next morning Dean threw on a Led Zeppelin shirt, dark jeans, and black converse. He sprayed some cologne on as his little brother, Sam, walked by his room. He backtracked and raised his eyebrows.

“Cologne, Dean? What’s the occasion?” He smirked at him in a way that drove Dean up the wall.

“None of your business, pip squeak,” Dean retorted, rolling his eyes.  

“Ooh, someone’s defensive,” he replied, narrowly missing getting hit in the head by a pillow.

 “You guys better hurry, you’re gonna miss your bus!” His mom yelled at them and Sam quickly left to grab his backpack.

“Damn it,” Dean went to grab his own stuff from the bed and glanced at himself in the mirror and decided he looked okay enough for school. Or for Castiel. He mentally chastised himself and walked to the living room, where he saw the bus waiting out front.

“Bye mom!” Dean yelled, sprinting to the bus. He vaguely heard her mother’s goodbye. Sam was close enough that when Dean stopped abruptly, Sam bumped into him and replied, “Ugh Deaaan!” His brother laughed and hopped on, noticing his mom smiling and shaking her head from the doorway.

_________________________________________

When 4th period rolled around, Dean took a deep breath and headed to his English class. To his surprise, Castiel was already there, looking over some papers.

 _He looks so good today_. Castiel was wearing a red shirt underneath a letterman jacket and jeans that fit _really_ well. His hair was perfectly messy, too. Like he purposefully just rolled out of bed and said, “Yes, this look will drive everyone crazy.”

As Dean approached his seat he looked up and smiled at him and said, “Hello, Dean.”

“Hi- hello, Castiel,” he replied, taking his own seat next to him. _You can do this. He’s just a normal kid. A really hot, mysterious, guy who keeps talking to me and making me nervous_.

“Here you go. Thanks again for letting me borrow your book. Your annotations were… really funny but also really… insightful,” Castiel said seriously and handed him his book, catching Dean off guard.

 _Here I go again, Dean Tomato Winchester_. He blushed and hoped Castiel hadn’t noticed.

“I don’t like Tom or Daisy either… They’re kind of ditzy, aren’t they?” Castiel continued, surprising Dean. It seemed that the quietest people had the most to say.

“Yeah, Daisy seems rather ignorant and lost. Tom is just… an asshole, really,” Dean supplied, chuckling. Castiel’s eyes widened and he started laughing. It warmed his heart.

“Heh, yes, absolutely,” he agreed. He cleared his throat and started tapping his foot, seemingly absent-mindedly.

“So… how’s basketball practice going?” Dean asked. He hoped to hear his voice as much as humanly possible.

“Uh, it’s good so far. I hurt my arm a couple of weeks ago but it’s back to normal now.”

“That’s great! I like seeing you play. I- I mean the team,” Dean quickly backtracked and wished Castiel hadn’t heard his slip-up. Judging by the slight upturn of his mouth, he did notice.

“Thanks, Dean. I’ve seen you at a few of them… but I know some people aren’t into it. Which is completely fine, of course,” he replied, smiling. He began to fidget with one of the buttons on his jacket.

“No problem; I don’t go to every game, but I go when I can with my friends. It’s the only sport I like, really. Otherwise I’m not very big on school spirit and all that.” Dean didn’t know where this was all coming from. He was talking to Castiel like an old friend. He had a weird sense of déjà vu.

“Me either. I’m kind of… reserved.” Castiel looked at Dean intensely and then a few seconds later his eyes travelled to his hair. He slowly raised his hand and touched it, which made Dean freeze like a porcupine in a balloon factory. He pulled his hand back and held up a small black thread, probably from when he put his shirt on in the morning.

“You had this in your hair,” Castiel explained slowly, not taking his eyes off him.

“Thanks.” He didn’t look away from him either. It wasn’t until later that he realized how unnatural it is to gaze at someone for several seconds. It didn’t feel unnatural with Castiel.

 _Should that worry me?_ The pie-loving boy questioned himself.

__________________________________

Two months later found Dean after class showing Castiel a picture of a guinea pig with a small pancake on his head. Castiel smiled at it and Dean grinned, knowing that his friend ( _yes, he was now officially a friend_ , he had decided) had a pet guinea pig that he loved very much.

“Talking about pancakes, wanna have lunch with me? It’s just that Benny and Charlie are away at some club thing and I don’t really wanna sit by myself, I guess,” Dean sputtered out, spinning his ring around his finger. He looked up at his friend who was only a foot away, personal space be damned.

“Of course, Dean.” Castiel grinned at him and Dean nodded, pleased to be able to spend more time with him. They went their separate ways after waving goodbye and Dean found that for the first time, he couldn’t wait for lunch. Even if it meant eating suspicious-looking macaroni and cheese.

Since the first day they had talked to each other, they had become increasingly close. They traded phone numbers and texted each other, partnered up for a project in English class, and playfully bumped into one another in the hallways. They had gotten looks from others since it was rare to see Castiel Novak smile and laugh in such a carefree manner. It was rarer still to see him mingle with Dean Winchester, who was his complete opposite (at least that’s what others thought). Dean learned that they actually had a lot in common. They loved reading, liked some of the same music, and were private people who only shared themselves with certain people. Dean learned that Castiel was close to Balthazar and Gabe, two other guys on the team.

Soon enough, lunch time rolled around and Dean and Castiel ran into each other, blushing and apologizing. They sat down and hesitantly ate the somewhat soggy pizza. They agreed that their favorite meal was chicken nuggets on Fridays. Eventually, they finished and awkwardly sat in silence for a few beats, until Castiel coughed and focused on Dean.

“Wanna go for a walk around the track?” He tilted his head in the way that Dean secretly loved.

“Sure, let’s do it.”

They threw their plates away and headed outside, where the track was a few yards away from the cafeteria entrance. Dean gripped the straps of his backpack while Castiel put his hands in his pockets. It was a sunny day and a bit fresh out, typical of an early November day. They walked for a few minutes before Dean decided to take the plunge.

“So… how’s it going?” He mentally facepalmed himself. _Out of all the things to ask, that’s what I go for? How lame._ Castiel chuckled and replied, “Not bad. Today is actually one of the best days I’ve had so far this year.”

“Wow, really?” _Is it because of me? Is he flirting with me?_ Feeling brave, Dean continued, “That’s funny. Mine too.”

Castiel looked at him and away, unsuccessfully hiding his smile.

“I wanted to ask you something, Dean.”

 _Oh god what is it? Does he want me to leave him alone? He wouldn’t have said yes to lunch with me if that was the case, right?_ Dean quietly took a deep breath.

“Go, ahead, Cas. Castiel, I mean.” He didn’t mean for the nickname to spill out, but Dean Winchester didn’t mean to say half the things he said in life.

“It’s okay, Cas is fine,” he grinned at him and Dean’s heart thumped loudly suddenly, startling even himself. Like the first sound of thunder on a cloudy day.

“Cool… so, what is it?” They were finally away from most of the student body having lunch, except for the few other people that decided to walk around with friends (or with their boyfriends or girlfriends) around the track.

“Do you- Would you want to go to dinner with me? This Friday, maybe?” Castiel stopped then and looked at Dean straight on. He looked sure of himself but also anxious, biting his lip slightly. His hair rustled in the breeze, his cheeks slightly red and Dean had never seen someone so beautiful.  

“Really? With me? Alone?” Dean gulped and swore his heart was gonna burst out and run away, leaving him defenseless.

“Yes, really. Just you. Just us… I’ve liked you for kind of a long time now. I didn’t do anything about it because well, we never had any classes together and I’m kind of shy, if you hadn’t noticed… But then I walked into English and there you were, reading and looking _really_ good and I just thought, _what the hell_. And I talked to you, and you talked to me back, and you were nice, and you let me borrow a pen. Which I still have, by the way, sorry. And I just, I had to try. So, will you?” Cas let out a shaky breath and looked at Dean hopefully.

“Wow…You can’t just attack me with such a heartfelt speech, Cas. I think I might cry,” Dean laughed and startled Castiel who looked a bit confused. To spare him, Dean leaned forward and hugged him, embracing him tightly. He ran his fingers through that soft, dark hair he dreamed about. After a second Cas caught up and hugged him, too, laughing right along with him. Dean kissed his cheek and Castiel grew a bit red, reminding him of that first day they met.

He let go of him and said, “Of course I’ll go to dinner with you. I’d even eat this crappy cafeteria food if it meant getting to hang out with you.”

Castiel smiled warmly and kissed Dean’s cheek, seemingly realizing that he could do that now. The only thing stopping Dean from attacking his lips was the fact that they were still at school and probably being gawked at at that very second.

Sure enough, Dean and Cas looked back towards the cafeteria and saw several people smirking, some shocked faces, and some who just looked plain jealous. Benny and Charlie were high-fiving and some of Cas’ teammates, Balthazar and Gabe were fist bumping.

They looked back at each other and smiled. Castiel held his hand out and Dean took it without hesitating.

 _Take my whole life, too_ , Dean sang in his head.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
